PBS News Hour: Education is at the heart of the Wisconsin race for governor

Education is front and center in the race for Wisconsin governor, and the PBS News Hour took a close look at the radically different approaches the two candidates – incumbent Scott Walker and State Superintendent Tony Evers – have on the subject. The report begins with Evers visiting a Milwaukee public school on the first day of school, while Walker is at a charter school in Waukesha.

Heather DuBois Bourenane, executive director of the Wisconsin Public Education Network, put it all in perspective, proudly displaying her T-shirt that says: “I Love My Public School and I Vote!”

“It’s about making sure that whomever gets elected is held accountable to the highest possible standard of doing the right things for kids in schools,” she says.

“Clearly, my lifelong journey has been all about public education and being a teacher and an administrator,” Evers says. “And, frankly, I have fought for our schools, instead of bringing them down.”

Watch the PBS News Hour report:

In Wisconsin’s race for governor, 40 percent of voters say education is their first or second most important concern. The Republican incumbent, Gov. Scott Walker, is squaring off against the state’s longtime superintendent of schools, Tony Evers. Polls indicate the race is too close to call. Special correspondent Lisa Stark of Education Week reports.